News & Views

As we enter an election year, it is imperative we build on the momentum from 2023 to strengthen ophthalmology services, training and research in the UK.

The Government’s Elective Recovery Taskforce has announced several actions aimed at increasing capacity in England in its implementation plan, especially through expanded independent sector involvement in the delivery of NHS services. While the measures, analysed in this article, represent an important acknowledgement of the need to urgently expand capacity and aspects of the plan can help ophthalmology if implemented effectively, to make a real difference policymakers must prioritise properly investing in NHS services and its workforce and infrastructure.

We are launching a one-year pilot of physician associates (PAs) within ophthalmology, starting in November 2023. Physician associates are growing in number in the NHS, and the RCOphth and NHS England are keen to explore how the PA role may fit into the ophthalmological workforce.

The Department of Health and Social Care has today published its Elective recovery taskforce implementation plan. The plan covers England and focuses on ‘increasing the use of independent sector capacity across a broader range of specialties, helping to get NHS waiting times down and ensuring every patient can realise their right to choose where they receive their NHS care’.

Following representations by RCOphth and other organisations, the government has taken the welcome step of confirming that sight testing will be expanded to all special schools from 2024/25.

NHS England is consulting on proposals for the NHS Payment Scheme that will apply between 2023 and 2025, including plans to amend cataract payments. RCOphth’s response will support this change as a way to tackle the risk of “upcoding”, with the caveat that NHS England reviews the effectiveness of how the current system reflects the costs of cataract surgery and other ophthalmology services.

Following joint task and finish groups convened by The Royal College of Ophthalmologists and NHS England, guidance has been published on cataract commissioning, the referral and post-operative pathways, and training in independent sector providers.

RCOphth has published an analysis highlighting key trends in cataract surgery in England. This includes changes in the number of procedures performed in each region by NHS and independent sector providers.

The way that eye care services are designed and commissioned legally changed in England in July 2022.